Don't Expect Nick Kroll and Jenny Slate's New Movie to Make You LOL

If you've seen the trailer for My Blind Brother, a film written and directed by Sophie Goodhart, you may assume that Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, and Adam Scott have a raucous new comedy arriving September 23. But the movie, which follows Bill (Kroll) as he helps his blind brother Robbie (Scott) pursue his dreams of being a local sports hero, takes on much darker, dramatic tones. As the brothers fall for the same girl, Slate's Rose, it becomes clear that the film is about what it means to face and then embrace your own flaws and how our selfish actions can ripples through the lives of others.

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It's a notably serious project for all three actors, who have dabbled in drama before but are mostly known for comedy. And for Kroll and Slate, who worked together extensively on Comedy Central's sketch series Kroll Show, it was an opportunity to explore new facets of their working relationship and their friendship.

We spoke with the pair in Los Angeles about the project and how they interact onscreen before Kroll had to fly back to New York where his Broadway show, Oh, Hello, is premiering this weekend.

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How did it happen that you're in this movie together?

Jenny Slate: They asked us! They asked us at the exact same time. And Adam, too.

Nick Kroll: Yeah, they asked the three of us together and it was one of those rare things where it was like, "Oh, yeah, the three of us should a movie together." It added up very quickly. We know each other socially. Jenny and I have obviously worked together a lot. [To Slate] Did you work with Adam on Parks and Rec at all?

JS: Yeah, I did.

NK: I had done a little bit with him on Parks, too. When I looked at the movie I could see all three of us playing all three of these roles. Jenny and I had done a lot on Kroll Show together. A lot of people are like, "It feels like a departure from what you guys have done." But in a weird way on Kroll Show, as jokey as everything was, there was some dramatic underpinning to it all.

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JS: The stuff on Kroll Show was really bonded. Maybe you can only see it from the inside looking out, and on the outside you see all of the bright colors. But for me, the reason I loved playing those characters is because I truly felt like we were plugged in deeply to those dumb idiots.

NK: So the idea of doing a movie where we were playing more grounded characters, who were still assholes, in these grounded scenes, felt like a continuation of what had been doing. Our outfits just weren't as silly, and we weren't as overtly pieces of shit.

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Yet this is a romantic comedy about two people who definitely have some issues.

JS: They say it and they take it away. That's the whole thing—when they meet she says she's a narcissist. They exchange their deepest, grossest qualities. That is what bonds them. There's a moment where they think, "Maybe this could work and we can exist with this all out in the open." But in the light of day, that's too hideous to face, and they take it away from each other only to show it again through their interactions. Ultimately it's something you can't hide.

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NK: That is true. That first night they get to jokingly reveal everything about themselves.

JS: And still connect and be drawn to each other through those admissions.

NK: I think the two characters are drawn to each other because they admit who they are to each other in a way they can't and don't to most people. Sophie wrote this very beautiful script about people being honest about not being very good people.

The movie seems like it will be a comedy, but actually feels much more serious than that. How did you get the tone right?

NK: I started referring to it afterwards as a dram-com. It has the elements of a romantic comedy, but there's dramatic stuff happening in it. To me, the writing was on the page. They're joking about something here, but it's very serious. I wanted to play it how I would if I was saying those things in real life. I guess that's acting.

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JS: There was enough built in there that you want to make sure it doesn't tip too much to either side. Don't be snarky, but don't be saccharine. Don't pander, but don't shut people out. Go straight down the line with the performance.

NK: So what did you think it was from the trailer?

I thought it was going to be a light-hearted comedy.

JS: Yeah, it's not really light-hearted. It's a thinker. And you don't walk away with an exact feeling of right or wrong. It's more complex than that, which is more true to the way that humans interact.

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How does it feel to play dramatic roles like this when you come from a comedy background?

JS: For me it's great. I don't know for Nick. And I don't give a shit.

NK: Jenny, please. Pleeeaaase. But, yeah, for sure it's good. My goal in all of this is to keep doing thing I haven't done before. This movie felt like it was part of that. It was something I hadn't done before and it let me work with people I like or have admired. It was super fun. It's a joy to be able to stretch, especially in a movie like this where you get to do both. You get to have some bigger comedic moments with some very real dramatic stuff. All that in one makes for a fulfilling artistic job.

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Nick, you have this movie, you play a literal douche in Sausage Party, and you're launching your absurdist Broadway play. That's a strange trifecta.

NK: It's the best! It's one thing I've admired about Jenny as well. That there's a desire to do different types of things, whether it's a dramatic film or stand-up or whatever it is. That we're able to exercise different muscles. Because I think each of them makes the other ones better. The more you're able to understand how to do a good dramatic performance, that can inform your comedy. It all informs one another. And it keeps everything interesting.

JS: Although I do stand-up—doing actual stage work is terrifying for me. I have so much respect for the fact that [Kroll and John Mulaney] are doing this thing on Broadway that is so unlike anything that is there and maybe that has ever been there.

NK: Will you come do it?

JS: Will I come do it? Yeah, for sure. You heard it!

It's on tape now, so you have to go onstage.

JS: Yes. But I think the reason I like making movies sometimes more than doing TV is that you have one task, you only have a certain amount of time to do it, and then it is done. And I really like focusing in that way. The thing that bubbles up the most when I'm around other people is that I feel a joy of being alive. But I also am a very sensitive person and have many heavier feelings. It can be tiresome after a while to only do comedy, especially after you grow as a person. It starts to feel like you're playing an older version of yourself.

Was there something new you learned about each other working together this time around?

NK: Sure. We've have worked together in various forms. So much of it was on Kroll Show, where we collaborated, but at the end of the day it was my show. And I was such a bossy little boss, wasn't it?

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JS: Such a bossy little know-it-all.

NK: A cruel host.

JS: Well, it is true, though. Kroll Show was Nick's thing, and I felt like I was at his party. This movie is different because we both had a lot to do. There's so much work to be done. I felt that even though I know Nick really well—and I think he knows me really well—I felt I wanted to be very careful not to tease him about his process. I know that I don't like being teased.

NK: Did I tease you?

JS: No, you didn't at all. But I felt like, "This is a different vibe than on Kroll Show." And we did take it more seriously. And some days we were really tired. The days in the hospital were really hard—I didn't like being in that hospital. And the days on the boat were really hard for me. I was seasick, we were getting sunburned, we were screaming into the water. If you don't respect each other and let it lie, it can be embarrassing or really frustrating. So I think nurturing the friendship in that way was really important.

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NK: And I'd worked with Jenny and Adam before, but not necessarily stuff that was directly dramatic in its underpinning. I remember talking to Jenny before we started shooting about our characters and I thought, "Wow, she's really putting a lot of thought into this and into her character. I gotta step up my game!" I realized, "Oh, this isn't just putting on funny outfits and then trying to have fun." It was some real work that could be done and Jenny was doing it, and I wanted to do as much as I could as well. We were able to get right into it and get through some of the barriers that are there when you don't know somebody.

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Is it ever hard to do an intimate scene when you already know someone so well?

JS: I think we have a pretty well-rounded friendship. It's not always us sitting around joking. There are a lot of serious conversations. It's a balanced bond. So if our friendship was just on the surface, it might be harder. I never felt awkward. But I did feel like I wanted to be careful.

NK: Yeah, you want to be gentle with the people you're working with if you know them. But I would also say that Jenny was very forgiving. I have what I guess is medically known as a farting problem.

JS: We call him Mr. Bubbles.

NK: So she was very kind to me, because when I'm nervous I fart constantly. She was forgiving.

JS: Yeah. He blew my wig off a few times. But luckily I had my toupee on under my wig.